McAfee forced subscription

[Explorer-8]

I have just received an e-mail telling me that McAfee have automatically renewed my subscription of �49.99 taking my money without asking first. I have tried to cancel it and get a refund for it because I have bought a new computer with Norton on. It looks really difficult to get through to these people and the phone number doesn't work. I have tried e-mailing them, but they might ignore that.

What else can I do to cancel it? Please help.

[deggers316]

there was probably a tick you missed that allowed them to automatically do this
you can never get to there people on line or phone
myself, i have always stuck to avg and either zone alarm or comodo,ALL FREE,never had one problem with my comp regarding spyware or viruses in the 6 years i have had mine

[deggers316]

that should have read you can never get to these people on line or phone. myself i have..............

[spaced]

have to agree with deggers. I run AVG and Ad-Aware, never had any probs. McAffe, Nortons they are all shyte

[Buenchico]

First, the technical bit:
Both McAfee and Norton have a reputation for being 'resource hungry' (i.e. they can slow your computer down). They are no better (and, in many ways, far worse) than the free programs which are available. The majority of the 'regulars', here in AB's Technology section, use Zone Alarm Free edition (as their firewall) and AVG 7.5 Free (as their anti-virus solution). They top these up with free software, such as Ad-Aware SE Personal and/or Spybot Search & Destroy to provide anti-spyware provision. If you require the relevant links, just ask.

Now the financial bit:
McAfee can't have taken money from your account without some form of authorisation. If you set up a standing order, then there's nothing you can do about it because it was up to you to cancel the order. However, it's far more likely that the money was taken by direct debit. The rules of the direct debit scheme require that anyone who is about to take money from your account must notify you in advance. (The usual time lag is 10 working days, which is effectively a fortnight). If the rules of the direct debit scheme are not adhered to, there is a guarantee that your bank is obliged to refund the money to you. So, assuming that the money was taken by direct debit, you should contact your bank and demand that they refund the unauthorised withdrawal:
http://www.bacs.co.uk/BPSL/directdebit/general public/yourrights/

Chris

[Explorer-8]

In the McAfee e-mail, it said at the bottom that I had 60 days in which to cancel it and claim a refund. I tried just replying to their message and explaining my situation with the new computer. They have responded favourably and they have cancelled my subscription. It is in their best interests really because if they get a bad name, they will lose more future customers than those they would have already tricked assuming that could have been their intention.

When my Norton runs out, I will have to try AVG. My computer is very slow. It takes more than a minute just to turn it on.